All members of the Sokoine University of Agriculture are welcome to use the Library.  Please note that you may need to bring some supporting documents for registration. Academic staff, research students and taught postgraduate students from other universities can apply to use the Library.

The Library is also open to the public as it is a National Agricultural Library, however to enjoy the full benefit of this Library it is advised to apply for a membership. See how to apply for a membership

Private and business researchers may apply to use the Library for reference if their research requires access to materials held at the University Library.

Applicants wishing to renew their access to the Library will also need to complete an application form, and present documentation, as detailed in Eligibility for access.

The Sokoine National Agricultural Library is open to the public although only members enjoy full benefits of the library resources and services. The university students, Staff and other authorized researchers are automatically members of SNAL for the period that they are at SUA. Any other person who wishes to become a member has to register, pay membership fee (5,000 TSH annually) and caution money (10,000 TSH).

1. Right of Admission

Admission to the Library and use of its resources are conditional upon compliance with the rules and regulations of the Library and such directions as may be given from time to time by the Director of Library or his/her designee. Ignorance of these will not be accepted as an excuse for their non-observance.

The Director of Sokoine National Agricultural Library (SNAL) subject to the approval of the Library Board shall reserve the right to exclude from all use of the Library any person owing to persistent disregard of the Library Rules and Regulations or for any other adequate reason considered to be undesirable. Library users should show their identity cards as required.

The following persons are entitled to use the Library facilities to the extent specified:

(a) Members of the University Council, members of the teaching and research staff, registered students of the University, authorized research workers and members of the University staff are entitled to use the Library, subject to the rules and regulations. Library users should show their identity cards whenever required

(b) Other persons may be allowed by the Director of SNAL to use the Library on stating the subject of their studies and on producing a satisfactory recommendation.

(c) Members of a society or institution who are accorded the use of the Library by virtue of an agreement between the University and such members shall conform to the rules of the Library, subject to such modification as may be stipulated by the terms of the agreement.                                                                                                                                                                                         
2. Registration

No person is allowed to borrow Library material unless he/she has signed a registration card at the Issue Desk by which he/she will have agreed to abide by the Library rules and regulations. A requisite number of borrowing tickets with which to borrow one volume per ticket will then be issued to the applicant. Tickets must be retained by the borrower when not in use. The loss of a ticket should be reported to the Library at once. Replacement of a borrowing ticket shall cost Shs. 500/= (five hundred shillings) only.

3. Borrowing

(a) The right to borrowing is accorded to persons mentioned in (a), (b) and (c) above, but the prior approval of the Director of SNAL or his/her designee shall be necessary in the case of persons who are not members of the University. They will be classified as External borrowers and may borrow upon payment of 10,000/= shillings as Library caution money and 5,000/= shillings annually as membership fees for citizens. Non-citizens who are not affiliated with SUA shall pay USD 50 or equivalent in order to use the Library for a period not exceeding 3 months.

(b) The Director of SNAL shall reserve the right, subject to the approval of the SNAL Board, to prohibit or to restrict the borrowing of certain classes of books and of individual works. There will be a clear indication in such books that they may not be borrowed or that borrowing is restricted.

(c) No book shall be removed from the Library until it has been officially issued to the borrower at the Issue Desk.

(d) For all borrowers except in the case of certain specified items, the loan period shall depend on user category: i) For academic members of staff the loan period shall be 30 days. ii) For the rest of the Library users the loan period shall be 21 days.

(e) The borrower in whose name a book is borrowed shall be solely responsible for returning it.

(f) Any borrower, including a member of the academic staff, who fails to renew or to return books from the general collection on the date due, shall be liable to a fine of 100/- per book each day or fraction thereof until the total fine reaches the replacement cost of the books. The fine for overdue Special Reserve items however is 100/- per hour or fraction thereof. Also no further borrowing shall be allowed to any person who has not returned an overdue book and paid the fine. For members of staff not willing to pay their overdue fines, the fines shall be deducted from their salaries as is applicable in the case of lost Library materials.

(g) Before the end of each semester every Library material held by a borrower (other than External borrower) shall be returned to the Library. After inspection of the books by Library, the borrower who is continuing association with the University by study, employment or special permission may borrow for the long vacation and thereafter.

(h)The refund of deposit due to a student whose courses terminate at the end of the session and who has not returned Library material will be withheld by the Bursar until the material has been returned. An amount equal to the fine incurred will then be charged against the deposit. If the book is not returned at all within 3 months a three hundred per cent in replacement value of the book will be charged against the borrower. In the case of a finalist student his/her Examination and Statement of Results and Transcript shall be withheld by the University until unreturned Library items have been recovered.

For members of staff who have lost Library materials and not willing to pay replacement value of the lost materials, they shall be deductedtheir salaries by the Bursar for recovery of such materials.

Students with either overdue books/fines shall not be allowed to use library facilities until they clear their overdues/fines.

(i) The library reserves the right to recall any book before the date on which it is due. An individual failing to respond to the recall notice shall be liable to overdue fines after 72 hours of receiving the notice, unless he/she has proof of acceptable reasons for not responding to the recall notice.

(j) Books may be reserved. They will be returned to the shelves if not claimed within one week after the notice has been sent to persons reserving them.

(k) Readers are requested not to re-shelve books taken from the shelves for consultation. Library materials should be left on tables/trolleys for re-shelving by Library Staff.

(l) Issue/return of books starts at 9.30 a.m. and stops at 9.30 p.m.

(m) Periodicals, Special Collection and Reference materials shall not be borrowed. Library materials on restricted loan may be borrowed only for the prescribed period.

(n) Readers will be required to show their books, for scrutiny at the exit control, when leaving the library.

(o) Clearance from Library membership on the part of a student (both undergraduate and postgraduate) is mandatory upon completion of his/her studies. In the case of a member of staff clearance shall be done when his/her employment terminates with the University or when he/she leaves the University for at least one year for any reason such as studies, secondment, leave without pay, medical treatment, etc.

(p) The number of volumes an undergraduate student may have at one time shall not exceed five, for a postgraduate student not more than six volumes. An academic member of staff may borrow 10 volumes at one time; an administrative member of staff may borrow 6 volumes and external borrower 3 volumes at a time.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

4. Discipline

(a) Silence must be observed in the Library. Library users should switch off their cellular phones while in the Library reading areas.

(b) Smoking is not permitted in the Library.

(c) The use of matches or open lights in any part of the Library is prohibited.

(d) Dispatch, attache' cases, overcoats, bags, parcels and other similar objects that could be used to hide books must be left in the place provided for them in the entrance lobby. Also while loose sheets of papers for purpose of taking notes may be taken into the Periodicals and Special collections, files, folders and other books should not be taken into these sections.

(e) The assistant at the Issue Desk will insist that a reader show all his/her books and any other materials on leaving the Library as a precaution against the illegal removal of books. Borrowers are asked to give the assistant their full cooperation in this matter.

(f) Readers must behave in a manner that will cause neither disturbance, offence to other readers nor damage to Library material. Foods, chewables, drinks, removal of shirts, placing feet on furniture, wearing of shoes causing disturbance are forbidden.

(g) Bottles of ink must not be brought into the Library.

(h) If a person is found guilty of stealing and/or mutilating Library property, he/she shall be rusticated for one year in the case of students,and be permanently dismissed for a second offence. In the case of the culprit being a member of staff, appropriate disciplinary action shall be taken against him/her in accordance with the terms and conditions of service.

In the case of those who do not fall under the above categories, i.e. those who are neither students nor staff of the University, legal steps will be taken against anyone found stealing Library material in accordance with the laws of the United Republic of Tanzania.

(i) The Library insists that users intending to use the Library computers for any purpose must ensure that their diskettes are screened for viruses by the Library staff before using them as a precaution against destruction of computer systems by viruses. No user will be allowed to use any Library computer if his/her diskette has not been screened for viruses.

(j) Seats may not be reserved by leaving personal effects on reading tables.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
5. Loss and Damage of Library Books and Materials

(a) Readers or borrowers shall be held responsible for any damage done to books while in their charge, and will be required to pay the full market value of such books in case of damage. Books reported as lost or missing will be replaced at the borrower’s expense and the borrower will be charged 300% (three hundred percent) of replacement value.

(b) The marking of books will be regarded as damage, and persons responsible will be required to pay the cost of replacement.

 
6. Use of Information and Communication Technology Facilities

a) Users are encouraged to make use of electronic services available in the Library. However they are required to adhere to the regulations governing the use of ICT resources as stated under Section 4.3-4.5 of the SUA ICT policy on acceptable and unacceptable use of ICT facilities at the University. While using the ICT facilities in the Library, users are also required to observe the following:

b) All users shall be required to produce their identification cards/forms for Library membership before being allowed to use Library electronic resources.

c) For security reasons, no user is allowed to use his/her floppy or any external media in the Library without authority.

d) Damage of computer system or equipment due to negligence, misconduct or mishandling, such as dropping, cutting, spilling liquids, opening up or dismantling the casing or other parts, unauthorised attempt at systems/equipment repair, deleting programs, etc., shall be construed as deliberate damage and any person found guilty of such offence shall be liable to pay for the cost of repair of the damage so caused to the system/equipment by the user(s) or pay its replacement cost, if the damaged system/equipment is irreparable as a direct consequence of deliberate damage by the user(s) as explained above.

e) The Director of the Library or his/her designee reserves the right to deny a user access to these resources when there is substantiated reason to believe that violation of ICT regulations has taken place.

In order to become a member you are required to register, pay membership fee (5,000 TSH annually) and caution money (10,000 TSH) and fill the form.

Requirements:

ID cards

Introductory letter from relevant authorities

Passport size (1)

For more information please visit the Library